National Maritime Museum
After hearing about the new exhibitions on show at the National Maritime Museum, in particular "The Pacific Encounters", I couldn't wait to go and see what was on display. It is the world's largest maritime museum, filled with stories of great explorers, shipwrecks, battles, and national heroes - an inspiration to us all. Greenwich isn't very big and the museum is easy enough to find; it has 2 entrances - both completely different to each other. The Stanhope Entrance off Romney Road looks like you would expect a British museum to look.
Whilst if you enter from the park side (The Sammy Ofer Wing Entrance), you are greeted by an enormous "Ship in a Bottle"
The museum has had a £12 million refurbishment with 4 new galleries; it opens at 10 am and is free to get in. Once inside, it has a very modern feel to it, spacious, light and easy to get around - with several cafes, gift shops and toilet facilities.
Once inside, on the ground floor, you are immediately in a huge square room, like a courtyard, with fascinating displays all around the walls. This is quite the opposite of the impression you have of being inside a Victorian museum.
This is Prince Frederick's Barge built approximately 1732 and adorned with gold leaf. It was designed as a small Thames Water taxi, with an elongated front (bow), to enable its passengers to get off without getting their feet wet. It was an elaborate eye-catching symbol of the royal family - emphasising their maritime power.
There is a collection of figureheads and ships badges.
.......And AHOY, where children can climb aboard the scaled down bow of a ship.
If you go up the stairs next, above the courtyard, you come to the most fantastic area - The Great Map (and its cafe). I had not heard about this, and was completely astounded by it. You can stand in Australia one minute and hop into Africa the next; an absolutely brilliant tool for explaining to children the concept of where countries in the world are situated.
There are toy ships for children to sit on and sail around the world - what an ingenious idea!
Over the bridge and you come to Sackler Gallery with its Pacific Encounters Exhibition.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world, spreading from the north pole to the south, covering almost a third of the planet. It stretches from Asia to the Americas, with the Australian continent in the middle, and thousands of islands between. In this gallery you can see objects and stories of people that have explored this vast ocean and of how people live and have lived in this area.
This is a model of a canoe used by Maori warriors of New Zealand, originally made from one of the largest trees in the world - the kauri tree.
This 1777 painting by William Hodges shows canoes from Tahiti, that were used in battles between the various islands and tribes. These War canoes were quite a size, similar to some European ships, and would have been a fearful sight when full of warriors with spears and other weapons.
This is a 16th century globe made by Gerardus Mercator from Belgium.
In the late 1760's Britain sponsored several expeditions to the Pacific, to chart islands and and new lands - the first ship sent was the Endeavour in 1768 and embarked on a 3 year voyage lead by Captain James Cook. In April 1770 he landed at Botany Bay on the eastern coast of Australia - for which he is most famous. This scaled model shows the crew and what provisions would have been needed for this journey around the world.
He returned to the area in 1771 and with The Resolution, The Adventure and the Discovery charted and discovered many more Pacific Islands - sadly being killed by natives in Hawaii in 1779.
The actual events surrounding Captain Cook's death in 1779 are still unclear with some pictures showing the islanders as violent murderers.
I was surprised to learn that Captain Cook's Cottage had been shipped to Melbourne in 1934.
Drawings done by some of the botanists aboard these expeditions - many others are at Kew and in other museums.
Another well known ship with a tale to tell, was the Bounty; whose mutinous crew led by Fletcher Christian, took over the ship and sailed it to Tahiti. The men lived on the islands of Tahiti and Pitcairn, but only 14 of the original 21 were still alive in 1791, when the Royal Navy captured them. You can decide if you would have stayed with the Captain or gone with the mutineers.
One of the largest islands in the Pacific is New Zealand - home of the Maoris.
This rather unusual collection is of tattooing needles, made from various teeth (sharks in particular) and wood - they have come from Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and Papua New Guinea.
This Fijian canoe was built using traditional methods in 2014; it has no nails and is bound together by coconut husk fibres. Hundreds of years ago, these Drua (canoes) would have been up to 4 times this size, often carrying more than 100 people and provisions across the Pacific in search of new lands.
Tapa (bark cloth), was the main textile in the Pacific islands. Women would have beaten the bark of the mulberry tree with wooden beaters, with each island having its own variations on designs.
There is also a great selection of paintings in the Pacific Gallery, many stories to be told, many accounts to read - as well as incredible objects to be marvelled at.
The next gallery aptly named Sea Things, shows how over the centuries, items that have shaped our relationship with the oceans. It is a colourful room - with plenty to look at (over 600 items) rather than read about. There are many hands-on activities and interactive exhibits.
This ancient Egyptian votive ship model is one of the oldest artefacts in the Museum
These stained glass windows were made in 1922 for the Baltic Exchange as a memorial to the 60 members of the Exchange who lost their lives in World War One. There is also a set of Virtue Windows - Hope, Fortitude, Justice, Truth and Faith.
Polar World is the next gallery, with stories of indigenous communities, scientific discoveries and polar expeditions - hardship, exploration, races to be the first to the pole, and even death.
See extracts from explorers diaries and actual equipment they would have used on their heroic attempts to discover the unknown.
See how Scott and Shackleton, together with their men, struggled to reach the Poles, with equipment that we now would class as completely unsuitable. These heroic characters gave all, to map, discover and conquer these unexplored inhospitable regions - many giving their lives in the attempt.
The differences in clothing that was worn - it is hard to believe the change within the last century.
I loved this selection of photographs taken in 1915 by Frank Hurley (an Australian adventurer and photographer); who spent more than 4 years in Antarctica. Hurley was the official photographer on Ernest Shackleton's famous Trans-Antarctic Expedition which set out in 1914 and was marooned until August 1916.
Ernest Shackleton's first trip to the Antarctic was 1901-04, when he reached the furthest point south - but he was ill and had to return home. He went back to Antarctica several more times, determined to reach the South Pole; but after Roald Amundsen beat him to the Pole in 1911, Shackleton attempted to cross the continent via the Pole and later to circumnavigate it. Sadly, in 1922, he had a heart attack on board his ship and died - he is buried on South Georgia.
There are also details and photographs of Scott's expeditions to reach the South Pole.
Described as Tudor and Stuart Seafarers - the next gallery is totally different. In the late 15th century England, Spain and Portugal sent ships further across the Atlantic and into the Indian Ocean, looking for new worlds. This period of global exploration discovered the Americas, and all the wealth that went with it. Every seafaring country wanted more power and wealth from these new lands, and so started new trade routes, new places to conquer and settle - ultimately to exploit.
This book called The Theatre of the Lands of the Globe is considered to be the first modern atlas.
You could see, very close-up various items relating to travel and trade.
One of the greatest adventurers of all time - Christopher Columbus.
By 1500 seamen were able to chart their positions at sea and plot accurate courses - due to the invention and development of new astronomical instruments. Arriving home safely, they began sharing details of their voyages, and navigation of the oceans began opening up - leading to amazing discoveries. This period has some of the most famous explorers that have ever lived.
Through articles and paintings, you can visualise how some of these well known characters played an important part in shaping the world as we know it today, not only through exploration but through conflict, colonisation and wars.
There are many historical paintings in this gallery which are well worth studying.
You will also find interactive displays to keep younger ones entertained too.
A portrayal of a Royal Dockyard in 1690 - the light figures are holistic and appear to be moving.
It really was the era for exploration and fabulous ships, with names that everyone remembers.
Along the corridor to the Nelson, Navy and Nation Gallery.
There are over 250 historic objects in this gallery, from paintings to personal memorabilia.
Cartoons had become popular by this time, often as a way of telling the news. This shows different reasons for people wanting to go to sea or to stay at home!
Captain Horatio Nelson - who was promoted to Captain at the age of 21 years in 1779. This painting shows him in front of the fortress in Nicaragua, which he helped capture in 1780.
Nelson falling to the deck whilst on the HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Only 2 days after he lost his right arm, Nelson wrote several letters back to the admiralty; using his left hand for the first time, he described himself as a burden and now useless to his country.
This is the coat Nelson was wearing when he was shot in the shoulder by a musket ball at the Battle of Trafalgar. His shoulder was shattered, his lung punctured and the ball lodged itself in his spine - he knew immediately that it was a fatal injury. The hole is in the top left shoulder.
Although Trafalgar was a victory, the death of Nelson was a terrible shock for the country - he was mourned as a national hero. A huge state funeral took place (an honour only usually given to the Royal family), leaving Greenwich by boat and ending at St Paul's Cathedral. Enormous crowds followed the event both on the water and on land.
There is a small section about the Forgotten Fighters of the sea in World War One.
The last gallery is the All Hands Children's Gallery, a chance for youngsters to test their maritime skills through various interactive experiences.
As well as seeing scaled down models, children can experience how it felt to fire at a pirate ship.
And to stand at the helm and steer a ship.
Back to the Bridge above the World Map Cafe - I certainly felt as if I had been around the world a few times, seen some amazing things through various media and it had bought back many memories.
Downstairs there are two shops, one is particularly well stocked with books about the explorers whose lives were depicted in the galleries here.
The last exhibition room downstairs is Maritime London.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed a trip around the National Maritime Museum with me, I had a wonderful time. I wish I had, had the time to have stayed longer - I will just have to go back one day.
There is a sign outside the museum that says "Don't be a tourist - be an Explorer" - how apt is that!
Thank you,
Lynne
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